Pomade dispensers having extend and retract mechanisms are well known. Lipstick, or pomade dispensers, include a pomade cup for holding one end of the lipstick. A pomade cup generally has a pair of lugs extending radially outwardly from opposite sides of the cup. The pomade cup is usually disposed within a vertically slotted inner tube which in turn is concentrically located within a cam tube having helical cam grooves therein. The lugs extend through the vertical slots of the vertically slotted inner tube and into the helical cam grooves of the helically grooved cam tube. By rotating the vertically slotted tube relative to the helically grooved tube the pomade cup is induced via the lugs to move axially in order to selectively extend or retract the lipstick. For ease of use, the vertically slotted inner tube is connected to a base, and the helically grooved cam tube is connected to a shell, which is partially disposed within the base. Therefore, to vertically move the lipstick the shell is rotated with respect to the base.
Various methods are known for inserting pomade into a pomade cup or the like within a pomade dispenser. The method used to position pomade within a dispenser depends on how the pomade is formed, or molded. Generally pomades and the like are molded by heating a mixture beyond its melting point and then pouring the mixture into a female mold. More modern techniques use an injection method to deposit a mixture into a female mold. The shape of the mold and the stage in production where it is used depends on the following description of filling and loading methods.
One method is top filling. First a mixture of pomade is poured into a mold, cooled and then removed from the mold and carefully inserted into a one piece pomade cup already positioned within a case or dispenser. This method inevitably leaves marks on the pomade. The marks are usually removed by flash flaming the surface, such as by passing the exposed pomade quickly through a flame. Another problem with top filling is that of retaining the pomade within the cup. This is especially true of the newer lipstick formulas that contain volatile compounds that shrink over time and can become loose or even fall out of the pomade cup. An attempt at solving this problem is to use vertically oriented ribs within the pomade cup. The ribs help prevent rotation of the pomade within the cup but have failed to solve the fall out problem. Another attempt to solve this problem uses a post with small lug engagement areas, as taught by Vaupel, U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,727. This configuration requires that the pomade be squished around the post, deforming the pomade such that little if any material actually contacts the lug surface. This is especially true of the new mixtures that contain volatile compounds.
Another method of filling pomades into a pomade cup is through the bottom of the dispenser; this is called bottom filling. Bottom filling entails extending the pomade cup to an open end of the inverted dispenser for contact with a mold surface. Alternatively, a tube-shaped mold can be inserted within the dispenser, whereby the pomade cup would remain in its retracted position. When the pomade cup within an inverted dispenser is in contact with the mold a nozzle is inserted through an opening in the bottom of the inverted dispenser and through the pomade cup, and pomade is injected into the mold, thereby filling the mold. The mixture fills the mold and at least a portion of the pomade cup. After the mixture has solidified the dispenser and pomade cup are withdrawn from the mold.
The bottom filling method has several drawbacks. For one, alignment of the dispenser, mold, and mixture nozzle are critical. If the components are not properly aligned, the pomade may end up tilted, causing it to scrape along a sidewall of the dispenser when it is retracted. Another retraction method is to retract the pomade into the dispenser using the retraction mechanism of the dispenser.
These problems lead to another problem with bottom filling. If the pomade is not homogeneously filled, e.g., with entrained air bubbles or incomplete filling of the mold, the entire assembly must be rejected causing the loss of an expensive dispenser.
One solution to reducing inventory problems is shown in Bouix, U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,882. Bouix describes using a tubular cup that can be placed in a top portion of a mold such that if there are any defects in the molding operation then only the tubular cup must be rejected and not an entire case or dispenser. For insertion into a dispenser the Bouix tubular cup is inserted into a cylindrical ring having conventional lugs or studs for use with a dispenser. This method still leaves several unsolved problems. One such problem is that the tubular cup in contact with the pomade is asymmetrical and must therefore be correctly oriented in the mold. Another problem is that the cylindrical ring with the studs must be relatively short which can lead to wobble within the dispenser. Yet another remaining problem, as described further below, is that of pomade retention within the pomade cup itself. Yet another problem is that pomade leaks past the end of the cup during molding.
As mentioned above, recent developments in lipstick formulation have led to lipsticks that give off volatiles. This causes the pomade to shrink during use and can cause the pomade to fall out of the pomade cup. Current pomade cup designs to alleviate this problem require the use of bottom filling, as described above. This means that top filling machinery must be replaced at great capital expense. There are several different types of machinery being used for each method described above. The present invention addresses the foregoing problems as described below.